Wichita eagle., 1887-12-03
OUR STREET RAILWAY FRANCHISE.
To the Editor of the Eagle.

come up for passage at next Monday
nights meeting, deserves more than pass
ing notice.
Having had several months valuable
experience in unsuccessfully trying to get
some similar legislation for street rail
road from Main street east to College Hill,
we have imbibed some points with much
| tobacco smoke, and desire to call the
councils attention to some very obvious
reasons why the ordinance should not pass
| in its present form. Were it an ordinance
| in the interest of any other line than that
of the old company here, we know from
sad past experience that there are some
councilmen who are now ready and anxious
! to vote for this wholesale franchise, who
would see utterly insurmOuntable difficult
ties in the way of giving it their vote; but
where the old company is the petitioner we
have no hope from them OF
anything but unqualified support of
the measure desired We sincerely
| hope however, our citizens will awake TO
the situation and will hold every council
man responsible for an honest vote. We
| also hone that the old company may not be
! subjected to the delay they have been in
/ strumental in causing other companies in
getting such part of their ordinance passed
! as is right for them, and not detrimental
/ to the interests of our people. The com
| pany have given us good car service and
deserve much credit for ability and energy
| displayed, and if their old franchise is de
! fective fix it up for them, but they have
demonstrated the fact that they are great
monopoly, and if we don't look out 1.-The
! tail will soon wag the dog.
! Now for the ordinance as published in
| last Saturdays EAGLE. The last part of
! the first section provides that the company
may within two and one-half years con-
| struct cable or an electric railroad in the
! city From the hearty opposition TO
! electric lines which has come from
| certain quarters we would from aforesaid
past experience" expect storm of dlsap-
| proval of such a wholesale franchise, with
| so little detail and such unlimited time,
but we hear there were some ready TO
swallow it whole.
A part of section 3 provides that the line
shall be constructed so that it may be
| crossed with teams at any point with
! perfect ease and safety" That sounds
| very NICE but there is a similar clause in
the old ordinance, and yet there are places
on their lines where it is next to impossi-
| BILE to cross at all and we all know of
many accidents and break downs caused
by their ties and rails being high above
grade and nothing is ever done about it.
We suggest that this clause be referred to
the city attorney that little back bone
may be given 30 it, and placing delin-
qriencies under direction of street com
missioner, at expense of Railroad COM
pany.
Section 4 provides for matchmaking
or grading twelve inches on outside of
the rails, but careful reading fails to put
any macadamiZing between the rails.
Merely an oversight, probably, on part of
the attorney who drew the ordinance for
the road, but for the interests of the
people, so carefully looked after in
other franchises in hope it may be referred
to Mr. Dyer for correction, and be made
strong enough SO that the macadam viii
not only show on the ordinance but on
the road bed also and be kept there
Section ) describes the kind of rails to be
used, a most important matter, and what
a storm we have heard in the council over
the old 7 rail when suggested in other
ordinances yet the voices once so loud are
now hushed as in death and the I rail goes
everywhere, with provision of substitut-
ing on certain streets, as the I wears out,
tram rail- Shades of Webster, what is
tram rail? Look it up bows. Beams Of
wood, blocks of stone or plates of iron"
constitute tram road. Well the people
here are not very fastidious, but please let
us know which of the three things are go
ing to supercede the old L. Seriously
however. would it not be best to specify
that such rail shall be used as the council
may dictate for substitution, every
where, and then let the mayor
or the railroad committee correspond
with street commissioners OF some leading
cities and find out the least Objectionable
rail and then put it in here uniformly?
Now we come to section !. We were
aware that the Wichita Street Railway
company were getting to be a great mo-
nopoly. but we did not think they would
have the atfrontery to ask the city council
/ of Wichita to take the place of petitioners,
and they (the Wichita Street Il. W. Coz
assume the prerogatiyeS of the city cOun-
eli in granting a favor. vet here it, is in
plain form. Get an EAGLE and read it We
citizen. No we will copy it in full.
SEC. Z. And it is further ordained that
if at any time the city council shall deem
1t necessary to the interests OF the citv 10
construct a street railway on any other
street within the corporation Of the city of
Wichita on which there shall be at that
time no Street railway in operation, and
the said council shall give notice 10 the
said aforesaid company, the Wichita Street
Railway company, and if the said Wichita
Street Railway company shall fail TO con
struct and operate street railway on said
street or streets within six 90 months from
said date of said notice, then said Wichita
Street Railway company shall forfeit the
right OF way on such street or streets
specified in said notice
Great goodness, what cheek-and what
magnanimity in that clause. If in six
months after being requested to do 50 they
do not build road on given street, they
forfeit right of way on that street. How
gracious in them TO give US back our own
after holding it like dog in a manger for
six months. Such presumption gives Us
warning of what we may expect in the
future should their ordinance pass If we
get such deal from citizen stockholders,
what may we expect when they sell out 10
a forel On corporation, as they are trying
to Go? Now, in lieu OF this clause and of
section Il, which eXempts few favored
streets from their grasplng ambition, we
call upon the council to have the city at
torney not only revise the section above.
but 10 have him draw new ordinance en-
bodying the following points, and pass it
without delaV:
First-That all street railway companies
which have been granted ordinances over
any streets of the city not now occupied,
be compelled to notify the city clerk with
in ten days of their intention to build on
said streets, giving proposed route in full
Within thirty days thereafter they shall
commence operations on said line in good
faith, and push the same continuously 10
completion within six months. Should
any line not be operated by cars regularly,
the franchise shall at once revert TO the
city, and the street commissioner shall be
authorized 10 tear up the track lastly re
voking all ordinances contrary to this
Such an ordinance will work no detriment
to any verified right. and viii prevent any
franchise being held to the prevention Of
public Improvement, or any line being laid
10 hold a street. As is now the case on Cen
trail avenue. and possibly other places.
Respectfully, 4. !. HYDE
ANN I-SCFNF-NTS
Every one interested in the Woman
Suffrage movement is requested 10 be
present at Mrs T. NJ Packers residence.
co-uar I a,,-ic or.3 TaraLa ~ -Ls. ,+.r-